Rules when renting a holiday place - bonkers or completely normal?

[DragonMamma]

We are renting a large property for over New Year (for a total of 3 nights). There are 10 bedrooms and 9 bathrooms. We rent houses regularly and have done for many years. This 3 night break is costing just under £3.5k so it’s not exactly cheap.

We’ve just received the list of do’s and don’ts from the owner and it reads like nothing we’ve ever come across before. It’s like they are reluctantly giving us use of the place and barking instructions at us.

Some examples below copied and pasted from their 7 page (!) instruction manual.

*YOU ARE EXPECTED TO LEAVE THE PROPERTY IN A SIMILAR STATE OF CLEANLINESS AS YOU FOUND IT, IF THE PROPERTY IS NOT SO, YOU WILL BE CHARGED AN EXCESS CLEANING CHARGE.
Including all floors to be hovered or swept, bathrooms and toilets cleaned, kitchen to be cleaned, all washing up done and put away.

Hot water will be on in the morning from 7am until 10am, briefly at lunchtime and again from 5pm until 10pm. Options for extra heating and hot water are available please see our website. These must be booked in advance.

NEVER LEAVE THE WOODBURNER UNATTENDED. IN INTERESTS OF SAFETY UNLESS YOU ARE EXPERIENCED USING WOODBURNERS WE SUGGEST THAT YOU DO NOT USE IT.

Swimming pool - Shallow end depth of approx. 1metre, deep end depth approx. 1.9 metre. STRICTLY NO JUMPING, DIVING OR OTHER BOISTEROUS BEHAVIOUR*

AIBU to think that if you’re charging over a thousand pound a night and absolutely insisting on a 10am check out (OR face yet another additional charge) then you simply cannot expect the occupants to clean 9 bathrooms and do all of the general cleaning. There’s also a strict list of what cleaning products are to be used where.

We always leave properties in a decent state - we will set the dishwater off after breakfast, give the bathroom a quick wipe so it’s not excessively dirty. We’ll bag all the rubbish up etc and make sure it’s tidy and do whatever else we have time for before leaving (strip the beds etc.). But this reads like they want us to clean it to a professional standard all before 10am!

AIBU to think this is a bonkers and that it’s not the responsibility of the occupants to do the cleaning for you? And to also have to book extra hot water in advance?

How on earth are we supposed to know when we are going to want hot water? What happens if we go swimming after lunch, do we have to sit and wait for it to come back on at 5pm? They have take a £500 security deposit and based on the list of things we may get charged for is endless and it’s really put us off going 😞

it’s standard to have a leave how you found it which does really mean spotless as when you arrive you expect immaculate

Do you do the same if you go to a restaurant? Take all the plates back to the kitchen, wash them up, wipe the table, re-lay it for the next people?

The whole idea of providing a leisure/holiday service is that people pay a premium for somebody else to do the less pleasant tasks whilst they focus on enjoying the fun aspects of it.

Yes, you clean up any particularly dreadful messes, but standard 'wear and tear' is part of what you pay for, so that cleaners can come in after you leave and make it ready for the next people. As a PP said, if they don't have cleaners, they're leaving the new guests entirely at the mercy of the previous guests. If it were a bothy or a dirt-cheap basic hostel, I'd understand it more - but absolutely not a premium priced holiday let like this.

Definitely check if they use cleaners - I would say that their terms and conditions aren't clear on that point , but you'd not want to be paying over £3k for a cottage which isn't professionally cleaned and that whilst you expect to leave it clean and tidy don't expect to end your holiday doing a thorough clean of a large holiday home before 10am, which could take several hours to carry out to professional standards. Point out that the property is priced for a premium product and you'd expect cleaning to be provided in the price, as usual for large, premium properties. Express concern that the property might not be professionally cleaned before you arrive.

People are stupid to include those terms and conditions in the aggressive tone they have - it's a total failure to recognise they are charging a premium rate and therefore have to offer a premium service.

You cannot charge a premium rate and then expect the outgoing guests to provide rhb only cleaning which will be done before the next guests arrive......or to imply that will be the case.

Saying 'it should be left clean and tidy' is fine. Detailed lists of jobs to be done which don't fit with a holiday at premium rates isn't fine and will drive clients away. There is a dis-connect between the market being targetted and what they are expecting to provide. Won't result in repeat bookings.

@Molecule I haven’t received your Pm but it sounds ominously similar from your update. They have 3/4 altogether, that I can see.

There seems such a variance on what is considered to be normal but I treat the houses as I would treat my own whilst I’m there but I certainly don’t have the time nor inclination to do such an intensive clean after a 3 day break - glad to hear I’m not alone in this.

Following, I would discuss with agency

sorry threads moved on a bit since i posted.....i'm still interested on why its ok for agency to share personal details with house owner without getting posters permission? surely the contract is between the agency and poster and the agency do the customer liaison? so there is no reason for the owner to have personal details of the poster?

@dreamingofsun

It’s deemed to be sharing for a legitimate interest or purpose I.e. I’ve booked the property and the agency legitimately needs to pass on my details to fulfil the booking.

I’ve had guests blow green snotty noses all over my bedding (John Lewis Egyptian cotton) and shit inside the toilet roll and then put it back on the holder. Using my white towels to check the oil in the car was another high point.

Jesus wept, some people are just animals.

Tidy and basics done- bins empty etc.
However, I try to do a few bits as cleaned holiday cottages for years at uni, and always appreciated when they had been left in a decent state.
Also encountered someone who had a bbq inside, someone who put up all decorations from loft, and someone who moved every piece of furniture into different rooms. Madness.

We rent out our campervan and ask for it to come back clean but what we really mean is don't send it back with food all over the hob, bins overflowing etc. We always expect that it will be deep cleaned afterwards regardless of how clean they leave it. I expect similar with holiday rentals - to leave them clean but not necessarily ready for the next guests (clean crockery will need taking out of dishwasher, bin liners and sheets replacing etc). I would be really suspicious if a place didn't employ cleaners in between bookings!

The hot water thing there would drive me potty, I like to go for a run around lunchtime, would not appreciate having to pay extra for hot water then don't know why they wouldn't just charge an extra 20 quid on the standard booking price rather than have guests eye rolling when they read the manual!

The lack of hot water would be a big no no for me , there wont be enough to go around anyway I would have thought. There is no way I would be cleaning the house either , leaving it in a clean and tidy state is good enough.The swimming pool rules and log burner are ok
We have stayed in many American properties that ask you to strip and wash the bedding and that annoys the hell out of me

The rules seem perfectly reasonable to me.

Most of them are safety related and given they are paying cleaners they clearly just don't want you to leave the place in an absolute state. I think you're overreacting.

If you're going to rent a property without reviews this is the sort of issue you risk though.

@dreamingofsun the firm we use to rent our holiday lets have a GDPR disclaimer on their bookings to say they will pass the contact details to us. It's useful when we don't have a same day changeover as I tend to text them and say they can have an early check in/ check out etc. You're right though - they legally cannot pass on personal details without the correct disclaimer.

In light of the fact that these "terms" weren't agreed on booking through the agency, I'd email the agency copying the owner in stating that you categorically disagree with points X to Y and if this is an issue, you will accept a full refund for the booking as it isn't as described on the website. You can't retrospectively attach terms to a contract - legally speaking they're in the wrong.

I don't know that they are charging 'premium' prices though, are they? 3.5k for a ten bedroom place over New Year isn't exactly top of the high end for rentals. It's pricey, but it's a big place and New Year is expensive wherever you go.

Is it through C&C in Devon

I own a holiday rental and those are ridiculous rules.....

Hot water is constant, it's a six berth so needs to be.

Heating is set to come on and off, but leave instructions how to change, I've no idea how hot or not people want it, so it'll be warm but they're free to turn it up or down.

I don't say anything about cleaning, most (99%) leave it decent but it's professionally cleaned after every let and if there two weeks I offer a mid term clean. We have a clause that if it needs additional cleaning we will charge, only enforced once.

Swimming pool, we don't have one.

Woodburner we installed to attract more winter clients, be bat shit crazy to say don't use it! It's probably why they chose our place.

They sound extremely unwelcoming.

@thesunwillout no, but it IS available on C&C. Have you stayed here? It’s called RV?

@dreamingofsun our agency also gives us contact details, I only ever contact to say "check in early available"'or "check out late available", I never give rules! There are some rules like, no dogs in the bedroom, please take the seat cushions on the patio furniture in and night, but those are just in a folder in the property.

My guest instructions just say to remove all rubbish from the cottage and wash up dishes (fine to leave dishwasher running). I don't specify to wipe up spills, or clean mess from toilet as that is common decency surely - I do the same for my cleaner at home. I don't ask for beds to be stripped, as it's easier to see stains and pre-treat if beds are left made up.

It makes my job more pleasant if guests do more than that minimum, and I'm grateful, but it doesn't actually save me any time because I still go through exactly the same motions as I do when it is less clean.

Please update us OP when you've spoken to agency. I know the agency I use would be horrified about those cleaning instructions and would immediately raise it with the owners, as repeat custom (with the agency, not necessarily the cottage) is so important to them.

Noisy mare in me really wants to know if it’s the same one as @Molecule 😬

@Mamawingingit1234 it is! Sadly 😐

Oh dear op. That doesn't sound good.

Ahhh no! How shitty, for me it would cast a whole shadow over the holiday and put me on edge.

OP, don’t know if you want to change some details but you can google the house.

The terms and conditions on the owners website are keen to mention all the obligations of the people hiring the house but there is no mention of the hot water restrictions.

the water it the only thing that sounds really bonkers - for £3.5k, I'd expect constant hot water.
If you can't be bothered to leave it as clean as you found it, par the cleaning charge.